The Care Bill introduces legislation to provide protection and support to the people who need it most and to take forward elements of the government’s initial response to the Francis Inquiry.
Reform of care and support
The Bill brings together existing care and support legislation into a new, modern set of laws and builds the system around people’s wellbeing, needs and goals.
It sets out new rights for carers, emphasises the need to prevent and reduce care and support needs, and introduces a national eligibility threshold for care and support.
It introduces a cap on the costs that people will have to pay for care and sets out a universal deferred payment scheme so that people will not have to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for residential care.
Response to the Francis Inquiry on failings at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital
The Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry led by Robert Francis QC, identified failures across the health and care system that must never happen again. This Bill helps deliver the Government’s commitment to ensure patients are the first and foremost consideration of the system and everyone who works in it.
It sets out Ofsted-style ratings for hospitals and care homes so that patients and the public can compare organisations or services in a fair and balanced way and make informed choices about where to go.
It will enable the new Chief Inspector of Hospitals, appointed by the Care Quality Commission, to trigger a process to deal with unresolved problems with the quality of care more effectively.
It will also make it a criminal offence for health and care providers to supply or publish false or misleading information.
Health Education England and the Health Research Authority
The Bill establishes Health Education England (HEE) and the Health Research Authority (HRA) as statutory non-departmental public bodies, giving them the impartiality and stability they need to carry out their roles in improving education and training for healthcare professionals, and protecting the interests of people in health and social care research.